The Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), an advisory commission led by billionaire Elon Musk that recommends deep cuts to federal agencies, could soon become more official, if an executive order signed by President Donald Trump is adopted.
On Monday evening, Trump signed an order that renames the US Digital Service (USDS), created in 2014 by former President Barack Obama to “change (the) government’s approach to technology”, as US DOGE Service (USDS). (Note the identical acronyms.)
The USDS is expected to have around 20 employees, Trump said during the executive order signing ceremony. Despite its name, it is not a federal executive department, the creation of which would require an act of Congress.
The executive order directs U.S. agency heads to consult with the USDS to form “DOGE teams” of “at least” four employees within their agency within 30 days. Teams will typically include a DOGE team leader, an engineer, a human resources specialist, and an attorney, per the executive order, and will work with USDS and the agency in which they are housed to implement the DOGE plan of Trump.
Among other things, the executive order establishes a “software modernization” plan to improve the government’s network infrastructure and computer systems, and gives USDS access to agency “unclassified” records, software systems and computer systems “in accordance with the law”.
The executive order also creates a temporary organization, the US DOGE Service Temporary Organization, dedicated to “advancing (President Trump’s) 18-month DOGE agenda.” The organization is scheduled to end on July 4, 2026.
Trump previously said the DOGE work must be completed “no later than” July 4, 2026 – before the Ohio gubernatorial election in November 2026.
It remains to be seen whether the decree will survive the upcoming court battles. No fewer than three lawsuits have been filed in federal court alleging that Musk-led DOGE violates the transparency requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), a 1972 law that requires federal advisory committees to hold public meetings and to represent “balanced” points of view. .
Trump announced DOGE, which was to be co-led by Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, late last year. Ramaswamy has since left DOGE after reportedly clashing with Musk, and reportedly plans to announce his candidacy for governor of Ohio next week.
Musk suggested that DOGE could help reduce the US federal budget by up to $2 trillion through measures such as reducing waste, eliminating unnecessary agencies, and reducing the federal workforce. He has since backtracked on that goal, which many experts say is unrealistic.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Trump team and DOGE officials have called for the elimination of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), as well as the merger and restructuring of the FDIC, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve. Separately, Musk also proposed abolishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the agency responsible for implementing and enforcing consumer protection laws, and issuing guidelines for consumer financial institutions .
